Photo: Давиденко Валерий / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Oleksandr Zavarov belongs in a different conversation entirely. He was the first Soviet footballer pulled into a Western European elite club, and not just any move, Juventus signed him to replace the departing Michel Platini. Sit with that for a moment: a 171cm playmaker from Luhansk asked to fill the void left by one of the greatest of all time, across a Cold War divide. That is the weight of history pressing on a single pair of feet. His Ukrainian Orders of Merit and Soviet honours confirm what the transfer already told us. To me, Zavarov isn't merely a great player, he is a man who pried open a closed era.
Overview
Oleksandr Anatoliyovych Zavarov (Ukrainian: Олександр Анатолійович Заваров; born 26 April 1961) is a Ukrainian former footballer and the former head coach of FC Arsenal Kyiv. He became first among Soviets footballers who got transferred to West European world class club when he was picked by Juventus to replace the outgoing Michel Platini.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Oleksandr Zavarov
- Name (Japanese)
- アレクサンドル・ザバロフ
- Reading
- あれくさんどる・ざばろふ
- Born
- April 26, 1961 (age 65)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Ox
- Origin
- Luhansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 171 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player / association football coach
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Luhansk
Awards & achievements
- Master of Sport of the USSR, International Class
- Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class
- Order of Merit (Ukraine), 2nd class
- Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Association football player — see all → · Association football coach — see all → · More people from Ukraine →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.